San Zenone Church

The Church of San Zenone in Rolo has its roots in the 12th century, when Pope Callixtus confirmed the assets of the Monastery of San Benedetto Po, also mentioning the lands and the church of the Ariole fort.
The parish church of Rolo is officially documented in 1144, and has remained the spiritual heart of the local community ever since.
Its dedication to Saint Zenon reflects the saint’s historical protection of the waters and marshy areas of the region.

Over the centuries, the church has undergone numerous alterations: it was rebuilt in the 15th century, renovated
between the 17th and 18th centuries, and in 1912 the apse was enlarged and transformed from a semicircular to a polygonal shape.
Today, the building features three naves, adorned with pillars and side chapels dedicated to Saint Anthony and the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary.
Among the artistic treasures, the altarpiece dedicated to Saint Zeno in an 18th-century frame stands out, along with the Madonna of Peace from the circle of Michele del Ghirlandaio, the Madonna and Child in Glory from the Ferrara school, and works reflecting late Tuscan Mannerism, 17th-century Bolognese painting, and the late 16th-century Parma school.

Following the 2012 earthquake, restoration work was carried out on the façade, vaults and naves, alongside liturgical refurbishment featuring new furnishings in Verona marble, the work of the sculptor Paul del Doss Moroder.